Rochester Family History
Rochester Name Meaning
English: habitational name from the city in Kent, which is recorded
by Bede (c.730) under the names of both Dorubrevi and
Hrofæcæstre. The former represents the original British
name, composed of the elements duro- ‘fortress’ and
briva ‘bridge’. The second represents a contracted form
of this (possibly affected by folk etymological connection with Old
English hrof ‘roof’) combined with an explanatory Old
English cæster ‘Roman fort’ (from Latin castra
‘military camp’). There is a much smaller place in Northumbria also
called Rochester, which seems to have been named in imitation of the
more important one, but which is a more than occasional source of the
surname. In other cases there may also have been confusion with
Wroxeter in Shropshire, recorded in Domesday Book as
Rochecestre.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
123,341
Historical Documents & Family Trees with Rochester
Name Distribution of Rochester Families
MAP:
United States
England & Wales
Scotland
Number of Rochester families
 25 - 48  9 - 24 |
 1 - 8  |
from the 1920 US Federal Census Data
Number of Rochester families
|
109 - 215 37 - 108 |
1 - 36 |
from the 1891 England and Wales Census Data
Number of Rochester families
|
4 - 6 2 - 3 |
1 |
from the 1891 Scotland Census Data
Rochester census records
You can see how Rochester families moved over time by selecting different Census years.
Census records can tell you little-known facts about your ancestors such as birthplace, occupation and value of personal estate.
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Rochester Family Origin
Rochester Immigration Information
Click on a circle in the chart to view Rochester immigration records
You can find out when most of the Rochester families immigrated
to the United States.
You can focus your search to immigration records dating from that era.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival and destination.
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from the New York Passenger Lists
Average Life Expectancy for Rochester
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An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your ancestors lived in harsh conditions.
A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in
your family.
The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates,
death dates, addresses and more.
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from the Social Security Death Index (SSDI)
Rochester Family Occupations
from 1880 Federal Census Data
Rochester census records
Census records can offer a lot of little known facts about your Rochester ancestors, such as occupation.
Occupation can tell you about your ancestors' social status and economic status.
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Rochester Civil War Service Records
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